Viasat, Cubic³ and Qualcomm Demo Satellite Voice in Connected Vehicles
Viasat and Cubic³ will showcase satellite-enabled voice calls over a 3GPP-compliant non-terrestrial network for connected vehicles at Mobile World Congress 2026, integrating Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 and Fraunhofer’s NESC voice codec. This demo highlights always-on voice connectivity for safety and emergency access beyond cellular coverage.
1. Demonstration Details
At Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Viasat and Cubic³ will conduct a live demonstration of satellite-enabled voice calls over a non-terrestrial 3GPP-compliant network. The showcase will prove that vehicles can maintain voice connectivity when terrestrial cellular coverage is weak or unavailable.
2. Technology Integration
The demonstration integrates Viasat’s satellite network, Cubic³’s global connectivity management platform and hybrid eSIM, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 and Fraunhofer IIS’s NESC voice codec with support from Amarisoft. This end-to-end setup ensures seamless handoffs between satellite and cellular networks for reliable voice service.
3. Industry Impact
By extending voice services beyond traditional networks, automakers can enhance driver safety and emergency response capabilities worldwide. This milestone lays the groundwork for future non-terrestrial network (NTN) applications in software-defined vehicles, including 5G-NR satellite video streaming and broader data services.